Devices for treating target surfaces are well known in the art. Such devices include squeegees, concrete floats, dust mops having renewable surfaces, dust mops having replaceable surfaces, such as the Swiffer Sweeper sold by the instant assignee.
These devices typically have a blade or other edge which contacts the target surface. The blade may be used to spread a liquid for treating the target surface or for removing liquid from the target surface. For example, a squeegee blade may be used to remove cleaning solution, and concomitantly remove soil, from a window.
When a squeegee is used for this purpose, the user often wipes the blade clean between passes on the window. The wiping has several disadvantages. First, the blade must be removed from the surface, leaving a line at each edge of the blade. The lines disrupt the clean appearance of the window. The blade must be wiped with a cloth or paper towel, which in turn must be cleaned and or discarded. Neither step is as environmentally friendly as many would desire. Further, wiping at each pass takes time, lengthening the entire cleaning process.
By way of another example, the blade may be used to spread stain or lacquer on a hardwood floor. As the stain or lacquer begins to cure, it may become viscous and stick to the blade. When cured material sticks to the blade, it presents an uneven surface which is not suitable for evenly spreading additional stain or lacquer.
The user may attempt to compensate for the material sticking to the blade by wiping the blade clean. Again, this wiping step presents substantially the same disadvantages discussed above with respect to window cleaning.
An early attempt in the art is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 629,835 which shows a window cleaner having two cloth arches for holding a liquid to be applied to a window and a rubber strip for removing moisture from the window. Another early attempt is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,842,789 which shows a window cleaner having a combined sponge and squeegee. And U.S. Pat. No. 2,265,266 shows a squeegee having a plurality of wiping edges. Yet another attempt is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,459,071 which shows a window cleaner having a water distribution pipe and a rubber squeegee. Similar attempts are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,615,449 and 6,065,890. U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,530 shows a wiper having a pad and suction nozzle.
Yet another attempt is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,093 which teaches a device having a wiper blade and moistening member. U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,502 teaches an apparatus having a combined roller and squeegee. U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,839 teaches a squeegee blade for use on an irregular surface, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,387 teaches a segmented squeegee blade. U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,825 teaches an attachment for a squeegee having a resilient mounting member.
One attempt in the art to overcome the problem of contamination on the blade of a window cleaning squeegee is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,418 which teaches a tool intended to wipe cleaning liquid from the window. The tool has an absorbing means and a guide to provide capillary action between absorbing means and a blade. U.S. Pat. No. 7,594,294 teaches an implement for cleaning a window and having an inset area to collect pooled liquid cleaner before that cleaner is re-absorbed into a substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,497 teaches a cleaning device having an area for distribution and temporary storage of cleaning fluid. But these attempts do not overcome the problem of dirty cleaning solution, having soluble soils therein, being re-deposited on the very surface intended to be cleaned.
Disposable cleansing articles may be provided with an emulsion which releases an internal phase liquid during use. Examples are shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,112; U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,540; U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,043; U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,922; U.S. Pat. No. 6,001,381; U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,166 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,683,041.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,594 teaches a cleaning tool having a scraping element and a liquid absorbing element which can either moisten an object to be cleaned or remove moisture therefrom. U.S. Pat. No. 1,179,918 teaches a wiping implement having plural masses of cleaning material. US 2007/0220693 teaches a cleaning implement having a support head with three sides, including an applicator side and two absorbent sheet sides. Other attempts are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,560 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,872,021. U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,255 teaches a combination scraper, squeegee and sponge having a curved edge. U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,202 teaches a combined sponge, scouring material and squeegee in an implement.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,767 teaches a device having a resilient contact element with different primary and secondary contact structures. U.S. Pat. No. 7,574,767 teaches a cleaning implement having a squeegee blade sandwiched by absorbents on two sides, allowing for movement in first and second directions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,942 teaches a floor mop having a sponge with a wiper spaced therefrom a predetermined distance. U.S. Pat. No. 7,363,765 teaches a squeegee cleaning device intended to provide plural squeegee action directions.
But none of these attempts in the art satisfactorily overcome the problem of contamination of the target surface with dirty liquid. Further, none of these attempts in the art overcome the problem of renewal of the liquid upon demand, with a single device that does not rely upon a sprayer or recycled liquid. Accordingly, the search for better devices continues.